Windshield and Auto Glass Facts
Every part of a new car or truck comes from an OEM, (Original Equipment Manufacturer),
including the windshield and other glass parts in your vehicle. The only 2 US automobile
companies that actually made their own windshields are Ford and Chrysler.
There are two important OEM benefits:
An
OEM
replacement
windshield
is
produced
from
original
equipment
tooling.
This
type
of
windshield
will
have
the
appearance
of
your
car's
original
windshield
and
will
fit
properly
in
the
window
opening
making
noise,
leakage,
as
well
as
cosmetic
problems,
much
less
likely.
OEM
auto
glass
manufacturers
work
hand
in
hand
with
automobile
manufacturers
to
enhance
overall
functionality
and
improved
performance.
Because
of
their
close
work
with
auto
manufacturers,
OEM
manufacturers
have
a
greater
knowledge
and
understanding
of
the
engineering
demands
that
the
vehicle
can
place
on
the
windshield
in
both
normal
driving
as
well
as
in
crash
conditions
and
their
replacement
windshields
are
made
using
the
same
quality
assurance
systems
they
used
for
the original vehicle manufacturer.
Safety glass is used in all auto glass.
Safety
glass
is
manufactured
to
reduce
the
likelihood
of
personal
injury
when
and
if
it
should
break.
There
are
two
different
types
which
are
called
laminated
and
tempered
glass.
Windshields
as
well
as
some
side
and
rear
windows
are
made
from
a
lamination
process.
This
type
of
glass
actually
consists
of
two
pieces
of
glass,
bonded
together
by
a
"PVB"
(polyvinyl
butyrate)
vinyl
layer
in
between
the
two
layers of glass.
In
the
event
of
an
accident
this
vinyl
layer
serves
several
purposes,
it
cushions
your
head
during
impact,
helps
keep
the
vehicles
occupants
contained
within
the
vehicle
and
also
helps
keep
many
small
light
weight
foreign
objects
from
entering
the
passenger
compartment.
If
a
windshield
breaks,
during
impact, the majority of broken pieces will generally adhere to the plastic lining.
Tempered Glass
The
majority
of
car
and
truck
side
door
and
rear
back
glass
windows
manufactured
consist
of
tempered
glass
which
is
produced
with
a
process
that
involves
heating
the
glass
to
more
than
1,100°F
and
then
rapidly
cooling
it.
This
results
in
the
outside
surfaces
of
the
glass
becoming
harder
than
the
center
of
glass
which
makes
it
stronger
than
regular
annealed
glass
of
the
same
thickness.
If
broken,
tempered
glass
will
break
up
into
very
small
pieces
which
are
less
likely to cause as serious of an injury as annealed glass would.
Both an OEM and an OEE aftermarket windshield must comply with the same
DOT and Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
Broken Tempered Glass
Your
third
option
windshield
and
most
likely
most
expensive
and
risky
option
is
to
purchase
a
OEM
windshield
from
your
local
car
or
truck
dealer.
We
say
risky
because
you
would
typically
only
receive
a
twelve
month,
twelve
thousand
mile
warranty
for
workmanship
and
defects
as
opposed
to
receiving
a
lifetime
warranty
for
as
long
as
you
own
your
vehicle
for
workmanship
and
defects
if
you
purchased
an
OEM
aftermarket
windshield
or
an OEE aftermarket windshield from us here at Phoenix Glass.
Your second option
would be to select an OEE aftermarket Windshield made
by an OEE (
Original Equipment Equivalent aftermarket windshield manufacturer
).
For a new replacement windshield, door, quarter or rear window back glass, you have three options.
Your first option
is to select an OEM aftermarket windshield made by
one of the
(
OEM aftermarket windshield manufacturers
), such as PGW, Pilkington, etc.
All windshields and other auto glass parts like door, vent, quarter and rear window back glass windows come from a
variety of different manufacturers with close but at the same time different degrees of quality.
The information on this page will help you sort out the difference.
Broken
Annealed Glass
Copyright 2013 © Phoenix Glass, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Revised June 2023
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